Marilen Fontanilla

For Marilen, her current writing career has always been about making connections. A graduate of Ateneo de Manila University’s Management program, life steered her towards the food and beverage sector after she finished her Sales/Service and Kitchen/Production courses from Les Roches International School of Hotel Management in Valais, Switzerland.

Working within the F&B industry on the restaurant and education front afforded her the proper insight and perspective that served as a key motivator for her next step—a writer for F&B World in 2004 and eventual Editor-in-Chief until 2015. As the only trade magazine for the foodservice industry, it provided the perfect blend that married her interests and background during its publication run. More connections were made as she finished the Literary Gourmet Food Writing course from Stanford University and supplemented her knowledge through specialized food and beverage courses, including the Worldwide Sommelier Association (WSA) Sommelier course.

When asked what inspired her to continue writing, she reminisced about the unique opportunity to chronicle the diverse personalities who have peppered the F&B scene, the constant evolution within this challenging environment, and addressing concerns that affect its stakeholders. And while there may be a lot of content and information to sift through within the foodservice sector, Marilen simply continues to do what she does best as a writer—making the right connections for readers to better digest the exhilarating world of food and beverage.